There are so many factors that go into choosing a baby name. You want to find something that represents you as a family, something that sounds good from the baby years all the way up through your child's adulthood and something that has meaning to you. Popularity may not be the deciding factor when it comes to choosing your baby girl's name, but it probably ranks somewhere in there. You might want to go with the trends, or try to find a name that’s rare and unique. After all, choosing a name that's too popular is a No. 1 source of baby name regret, Nameberry's Pamela Redmond tells us.
The good news is the Social Security Administration (SSA) makes it easy to keep track of which baby names are trendy and which ones are timeless. The SSA publishes a list each year of the latest 1,000 top popular baby girl names, along with names that are rising through the ranks.
When it comes to the most popular baby girl names, the top spots have been pretty steady for a while now. Just a few names — Olivia, Emma, Ava, Charlotte, Sophia and Isabella — have pretty much held rank as the top baby girl names for a decade, if not more. But consulting the SSA and other baby-naming databases, we can see what the trends are for 2022, and even start to make predictions for the most popular baby names of 2023.
Looking for more baby girl name inspiration? Check out our list of top Indian/Hindu girl names, Irish girl names and Hispanic girl names, along with baby boy names and unisex names for good measure. No matter which one you choose, rare or popular, your baby will make the name uniquely hers.
The most popular baby girl names don't come as a surprise.
When the SSA released the most recent list of the most popular names, there weren't any shockers on the list.
- Olivia
- Emma
- Charlotte
- Amelia
- Ava
- Sophia
- Isabella
- Mia
- Evelyn
- Harper
These are the exact same 10 names as the year before, only rearranged slightly. Charlotte is up a little, Ava is down a little, but the top 10 is basically stable.
These names are becoming trendiest, fastest.
Where things start to get interesting, though, is the SSA's list of fastest-rising names, which are the names that took the biggest jumps in popularity since the list before. They are:
- Raya
- Wrenley
- Angelique
- Vida
- Emberlynn
- Flora
- Murphy
- Arleth
- Ocean
- Oakleigh
- Freyja
- Mylah
- Taytum
- Elia
- Jaylani
- Zayla
- Navy
- Della
- Clover
- Nyra
One thing that jumps out about these names is their length. While once short, four-letter names were becoming the norm (think Luna or Cora), now it seems that long baby girl names are on the rise.
And what does that have to say about the names on the horizon? That fastest-climber, Raya, could be a reference to Raya and the Last Dragon. Does that mean Encanto names will be big next year? While we know we don't talk about Bruno, and Mirabel/Mirabelle and Dolores have not yet made the SSA's list of top 1,000 baby girl names, Louisa/Luisa seems to be gaining steam. (And though the family Madrigal spells it differently, Isabella is a perennial top 10.)
Unisex and Gender-Neutral Names Are Getting More Unique
According to Nameberry, a baby-naming site that keeps track of interest in names and naming trends, the rise in gender-neutral baby names has caused an uptick in popular gender-neutral names like River and Rowan. As a result, the site says, parents are looking further afield to find more unique, unusual gender neutral names. It says to keep an eye out for up-and-comers like Arrow, Cypress, Jupiter, Merritt and Ridley.
Pop culture is still a big source of stylish and sweet baby girl names.
And if there's one television show launching more baby names than any other, it's Bridgerton. Nameberry has found an uptick in searches for Regency-era girl names inspired by the show. This includes Daphne, Hyacinth, Philippa, Phoebe, Francesca and Eloise.
BabyCenter, which also keeps track of the baby names from its users, agrees that Bridgerton is a big source of baby-name inspiration. But it's also found increases in names inspired by news shows like Ted Lasso (Keely, Bex), old faves like Gilmore Girls (Lorelai, Rory) and streaming shows like WandaVision (Wanda, Agatha and Darcy). Even Vision was up 20 percent, but that's used more as a boy name.
Parents are looking to strong women for meaningful baby girl names.
We could all use a little more strength to get through 2022. Perhaps that's why parents are opting for naming their girls after strong women, a huge naming trend spotted by BabyCenter. Topping the list are Kamala (up 20%) and Ruth (up 15%), after trailblazers Kamala Harris, the country's first female Vice President, and Ruth Bader Ginsberg, the first Jewish female appointed to the Supreme Court. But other newsmakers are climbing the charts, especially athletes, like Naomi, as in Naomi Osaka, or Simone, after Simone Biles.
Apart from newsmakers, the SSA list contains a lot of strong girl names rooted in myth. These include Norse goddesses, like Freya or Freyja; Greek ones, like Athena, Artemis or Persephone; Latin goddesses like Luna and Flora and Hindu ones, like Kali, among others. These names also tap into a feeling of power.
Beautiful baby girl names tell us where (or who) we want to be in 2022.
Capri? Bali? Where are you headed as soon as you can jet off to your next vacation? Nameberry sees an increase in those beachy names, plus other nature-inspired locales, like Prairie, Taiga, Bay and Sequoia. The Bump looked into its baby-name search data and found the same thing, with names like Ivy, Wren, Sienna and Laurel on the rise.
Bay is an interesting one, because it also sounds like a nickname. Using nicknames as full first names has been a trend for a while, now, but Nameberry notes that these monikers are getting cuter. They call them "playful names," which are huge going into next year, and include names like Baby, Pixie, Dovie, Honey and Lulu.
However you feel about these up-and-coming trends, before you decide on a baby name, scan the SSA's most current crop of names to see where it falls on the list. And if it doesn't rank in the top 1,000, it's a good bet you've got a unique name on your hands.
The Latest List of Top 1,000 Baby Girl Names
According to the SSA, these are the most popular names for baby girls in the United States right now.
- Olivia
- Emma
- Charlotte
- Amelia
- Ava
- Sophia
- Isabella
- Mia
- Evelyn
- Harper
- Luna
- Camila
- Gianna
- Elizabeth
- Eleanor
- Ella
- Abigail
- Sofia
- Avery
- Scarlett
- Emily
- Aria
- Penelope
- Chloe
- Layla
- Mila
- Nora
- Hazel
- Madison
- Ellie
- Lily
- Nova
- Isla
- Grace
- Violet
- Aurora
- Riley
- Zoey
- Willow
- Emilia
- Stella
- Zoe
- Victoria
- Hannah
- Addison
- Leah
- Lucy
- Eliana
- Ivy
- Everly
- Lillian
- Paisley
- Elena
- Naomi
- Maya
- Natalie
- Kinsley
- Delilah
- Claire
- Audrey
- Aaliyah
- Ruby
- Brooklyn
- Alice
- Aubrey
- Autumn
- Leilani
- Savannah
- Valentina
- Kennedy
- Madelyn
- Josephine
- Bella
- Skylar
- Genesis
- Sophie
- Hailey
- Sadie
- Natalia
- Quinn
- Caroline
- Allison
- Gabriella
- Anna
- Serenity
- Nevaeh
- Cora
- Ariana
- Emery
- Lydia
- Jade
- Sarah
- Eva
- Adeline
- Madeline
- Piper
- Rylee
- Athena
- Peyton
- Everleigh
- Vivian
- Clara
- Raelynn
- Liliana
- Samantha
- Maria
- Iris
- Ayla
- Eloise
- Lyla
- Eliza
- Hadley
- Melody
- Julia
- Parker
- Rose
- Isabelle
- Brielle
- Adalynn
- Arya
- Eden
- Remi
- Mackenzie
- Maeve
- Margaret
- Reagan
- Charlie
- Alaia
- Melanie
- Josie
- Elliana
- Cecilia
- Mary
- Daisy
- Alina
- Lucia
- Ximena
- Juniper
- Kaylee
- Magnolia
- Summer
- Adalyn
- Sloane
- Amara
- Arianna
- Isabel
- Reese
- Emersyn
- Sienna
- Kehlani
- River
- Freya
- Valerie
- Blakely
- Genevieve
- Esther
- Valeria
- Katherine
- Kylie
- Norah
- Amaya
- Bailey
- Ember
- Ryleigh
- Georgia
- Catalina
- Emerson
- Alexandra
- Faith
- Jasmine
- Ariella
- Ashley
- Andrea
- Millie
- June
- Khloe
- Callie
- Juliette
- Sage
- Ada
- Anastasia
- Olive
- Alani
- Brianna
- Rosalie
- Molly
- Brynlee
- Amy
- Ruth
- Aubree
- Gemma
- Taylor
- Oakley
- Margot
- Arabella
- Sara
- Journee
- Harmony
- Blake
- Alaina
- Aspen
- Noelle
- Selena
- Oaklynn
- Morgan
- Londyn
- Zuri
- Aliyah
- Jordyn
- Juliana
- Finley
- Presley
- Zara
- Leila
- Marley
- Sawyer
- Amira
- Lilly
- London
- Kimberly
- Elsie
- Ariel
- Lila
- Alana
- Diana
- Kamila
- Nyla
- Vera
- Hope
- Annie
- Kaia
- Myla
- Alyssa
- Angela
- Ana
- Lennon
- Evangeline
- Harlow
- Rachel
- Gracie
- Rowan
- Laila
- Elise
- Sutton
- Lilah
- Adelyn
- Phoebe
- Octavia
- Sydney
- Mariana
- Wren
- Lainey
- Vanessa
- Teagan
- Kayla
- Malia
- Elaina
- Saylor
- Brooke
- Lola
- Miriam
- Alayna
- Adelaide
- Daniela
- Jane
- Payton
- Journey
- Lilith
- Delaney
- Dakota
- Mya
- Charlee
- Alivia
- Annabelle
- Kailani
- Lucille
- Trinity
- Gia
- Tatum
- Raegan
- Camille
- Kaylani
- Kali
- Stevie
- Maggie
- Haven
- Tessa
- Daphne
- Adaline
- Hayden
- Joanna
- Jocelyn
- Lena
- Evie
- Juliet
- Fiona
- Cataleya
- Angelina
- Leia
- Paige
- Julianna
- Milani
- Talia
- Rebecca
- Kendall
- Harley
- Lia
- Phoenix
- Dahlia
- Logan
- Camilla
- Thea
- Jayla
- Brooklynn
- Blair
- Vivienne
- Hallie
- Madilyn
- Mckenna
- Evelynn
- Ophelia
- Celeste
- Alayah
- Winter
- Catherine
- Collins
- Nina
- Briella
- Palmer
- Noa
- Mckenzie
- Kiara
- Amari
- Adriana
- Gracelynn
- Lauren
- Cali
- Kalani
- Aniyah
- Nicole
- Alexis
- Mariah
- Gabriela
- Wynter
- Amina
- Ariyah
- Adelynn
- Remington
- Reign
- Alaya
- Dream
- Alexandria
- Willa
- Avianna
- Makayla
- Gracelyn
- Elle
- Amiyah
- Arielle
- Elianna
- Giselle
- Brynn
- Ainsley
- Aitana
- Charli
- Demi
- Makenna
- Rosemary
- Danna
- Izabella
- Lilliana
- Melissa
- Samara
- Lana
- Mabel
- Everlee
- Fatima
- Leighton
- Esme
- Raelyn
- Madeleine
- Nayeli
- Camryn
- Kira
- Annalise
- Selah
- Serena
- Royalty
- Rylie
- Celine
- Laura
- Brinley
- Frances
- Michelle
- Heidi
- Rory
- Sabrina
- Destiny
- Gwendolyn
- Alessandra
- Poppy
- Amora
- Nylah
- Luciana
- Maisie
- Miracle
- Joy
- Liana
- Raven
- Shiloh
- Allie
- Daleyza
- Kate
- Lyric
- Alicia
- Lexi
- Addilyn
- Anaya
- Malani
- Paislee
- Elisa
- Kayleigh
- Azalea
- Francesca
- Jordan
- Regina
- Viviana
- Aylin
- Skye
- Daniella
- Makenzie
- Veronica
- Legacy
- Maia
- Ariah
- Alessia
- Carmen
- Astrid
- Maren
- Helen
- Felicity
- Alexa
- Danielle
- Lorelei
- Paris
- Adelina
- Bianca
- Gabrielle
- Jazlyn
- Scarlet
- Bristol
- Navy
- Esmeralda
- Colette
- Stephanie
- Jolene
- Marlee
- Sarai
- Hattie
- Nadia
- Rosie
- Kamryn
- Kenzie
- Alora
- Holly
- Matilda
- Sylvia
- Cameron
- Armani
- Emelia
- Keira
- Braelynn
- Jacqueline
- Alison
- Amanda
- Cassidy
- Emory
- Ari
- Haisley
- Jimena
- Jessica
- Elaine
- Dorothy
- Mira
- Eve
- Oaklee
- Averie
- Charleigh
- Lyra
- Madelynn
- Angel
- Edith
- Jennifer
- Raya
- Ryan
- Heaven
- Kyla
- Wrenley
- Meadow
- Carter
- Kora
- Saige
- Kinley
- Maci
- Mae
- Salem
- Aisha
- Adley
- Carolina
- Sierra
- Alma
- Helena
- Bonnie
- Mylah
- Briar
- Aurelia
- Leona
- Macie
- Maddison
- April
- Aviana
- Lorelai
- Alondra
- Kennedi
- Monroe
- Emely
- Maliyah
- Ailani
- Madilynn
- Renata
- Katie
- Zariah
- Imani
- Amber
- Analia
- Ariya
- Anya
- Emberly
- Emmy
- Mara
- Maryam
- Dior
- Mckinley
- Virginia
- Amalia
- Mallory
- Opal
- Shelby
- Clementine
- Remy
- Xiomara
- Elliott
- Elora
- Katalina
- Antonella
- Skyler
- Hanna
- Kaliyah
- Alanna
- Haley
- Itzel
- Cecelia
- Jayleen
- Kensley
- Beatrice
- Journi
- Dylan
- Ivory
- Yaretzi
- Meredith
- Sasha
- Gloria
- Oaklyn
- Sloan
- Abby
- Davina
- Lylah
- Erin
- Reyna
- Kaitlyn
- Michaela
- Nia
- Fernanda
- Jaliyah
- Jenna
- Sylvie
- Miranda
- Anne
- Mina
- Myra
- Aleena
- Alia
- Frankie
- Ellis
- Kathryn
- Nalani
- Nola
- Jemma
- Lennox
- Marie
- Angelica
- Cassandra
- Calliope
- Adrianna
- Ivanna
- Zelda
- Faye
- Karsyn
- Oakleigh
- Dayana
- Amirah
- Megan
- Siena
- Reina
- Rhea
- Julieta
- Malaysia
- Henley
- Liberty
- Leslie
- Alejandra
- Kelsey
- Charley
- Capri
- Priscilla
- Zariyah
- Savanna
- Emerie
- Christina
- Skyla
- Macy
- Mariam
- Melina
- Chelsea
- Dallas
- Laurel
- Briana
- Holland
- Lilian
- Amaia
- Blaire
- Margo
- Louise
- Rosalia
- Aleah
- Bethany
- Flora
- Kylee
- Kendra
- Sunny
- Laney
- Tiana
- Chaya
- Ellianna
- Milan
- Aliana
- Estella
- Julie
- Yara
- Rosa
- Cheyenne
- Emmie
- Carly
- Janelle
- Kyra
- Naya
- Malaya
- Sevyn
- Lina
- Mikayla
- Jayda
- Leyla
- Eileen
- Irene
- Karina
- Aileen
- Aliza
- Kataleya
- Kori
- Indie
- Lara
- Romina
- Jada
- Kimber
- Amani
- Liv
- Treasure
- Louisa
- Marleigh
- Winnie
- Kassidy
- Noah
- Monica
- Keilani
- Zahra
- Zaylee
- Hadassah
- Jamie
- Allyson
- Anahi
- Maxine
- Karla
- Khaleesi
- Johanna
- Penny
- Hayley
- Marilyn
- Della
- Freyja
- Jazmin
- Kenna
- Ashlyn
- Florence
- Ezra
- Melany
- Murphy
- Sky
- Marina
- Noemi
- Coraline
- Selene
- Bridget
- Alaiya
- Angie
- Fallon
- Thalia
- Rayna
- Martha
- Halle
- Estrella
- Joelle
- Kinslee
- Roselyn
- Theodora
- Jolie
- Dani
- Elodie
- Halo
- Nala
- Promise
- Justice
- Nellie
- Novah
- Estelle
- Jenesis
- Miley
- Hadlee
- Janiyah
- Waverly
- Braelyn
- Pearl
- Aila
- Katelyn
- Sariyah
- Azariah
- Bexley
- Giana
- Lea
- Cadence
- Mavis
- Ila
- Rivka
- Jovie
- Yareli
- Bellamy
- Kamiyah
- Kara
- Baylee
- Jianna
- Kai
- Alena
- Novalee
- Elliot
- Livia
- Ashlynn
- Denver
- Emmalyn
- Persephone
- Marceline
- Jazmine
- Kiana
- Mikaela
- Aliya
- Galilea
- Harlee
- Jaylah
- Lillie
- Mercy
- Ensley
- Bria
- Kallie
- Celia
- Berkley
- Ramona
- Jaylani
- Jessie
- Aubrie
- Madisyn
- Paulina
- Averi
- Aya
- Chana
- Milana
- Cleo
- Iyla
- Cynthia
- Hana
- Lacey
- Andi
- Giuliana
- Milena
- Leilany
- Saoirse
- Adele
- Drew
- Bailee
- Hunter
- Rayne
- Anais
- Kamari
- Paula
- Rosalee
- Teresa
- Zora
- Avah
- Belen
- Greta
- Layne
- Scout
- Zaniyah
- Amelie
- Dulce
- Chanel
- Clare
- Rebekah
- Giovanna
- Ellison
- Isabela
- Kaydence
- Rosalyn
- Royal
- Alianna
- August
- Nyra
- Vienna
- Amoura
- Anika
- Harmoni
- Kelly
- Linda
- Aubriella
- Kairi
- Ryann
- Avayah
- Gwen
- Whitley
- Noor
- Khalani
- Marianna
- Addyson
- Annika
- Karter
- Vada
- Tiffany
- Artemis
- Clover
- Laylah
- Paisleigh
- Elyse
- Kaisley
- Veda
- Zendaya
- Simone
- Alexia
- Alisson
- Angelique
- Ocean
- Elia
- Lilianna
- Maleah
- Avalynn
- Marisol
- Goldie
- Malayah
- Emmeline
- Paloma
- Raina
- Brynleigh
- Chandler
- Valery
- Adalee
- Tinsley
- Violeta
- Baylor
- Lauryn
- Marlowe
- Birdie
- Jaycee
- Lexie
- Loretta
- Lilyana
- Princess
- Shay
- Hadleigh
- Natasha
- Indigo
- Zaria
- Addisyn
- Deborah
- Leanna
- Barbara
- Kimora
- Emerald
- Raquel
- Julissa
- Robin
- Austyn
- Dalia
- Nyomi
- Ellen
- Kynlee
- Salma
- Luella
- Zayla
- Addilynn
- Giavanna
- Samira
- Amaris
- Madalyn
- Scarlette
- Stormi
- Etta
- Ayleen
- Brittany
- Brylee
- Araceli
- Egypt
- Iliana
- Paityn
- Zainab
- Billie
- Haylee
- India
- Kaiya
- Nancy
- Clarissa
- Mazikeen
- Taytum
- Aubrielle
- Rylan
- Ainhoa
- Aspyn
- Elina
- Elsa
- Magdalena
- Kailey
- Arleth
- Joyce
- Judith
- Crystal
- Emberlynn
- Landry
- Paola
- Braylee
- Guinevere
- Aarna
- Aiyana
- Kahlani
- Lyanna
- Sariah
- Itzayana
- Aniya
- Frida
- Jaylene
- Kiera
- Loyalty
- Azaria
- Jaylee
- Kamilah
- Keyla
- Kyleigh
- Micah
- Nataly
- Kathleen
- Zoya
- Meghan
- Soraya
- Zoie
- Arlette
- Zola
- Luisa
- Vida
- Ryder
- Tatiana
- Tori
- Aarya
- Eleanora
- Sandra
- Soleil
- Annabella
Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; she previously wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother. She lives with her husband and daughter in Brooklyn, where she can be found dominating the audio round at her local bar trivia night or tweeting about movies.
